Two of Judah's sons (Er and Onan) had married a Canaanite woman named Tamar, but they had died before they had children. Social law at the time would expect Judah's third son, Shelah, to marry Tamar. Judah had refused to let a third son risk marring Tamar and had sent her back home to her father's house in Timnah to live as a widow. One day when Judah was on his way to her town she disguised herself as a prostitute and Judah picked her up on his way to Timnah. Judah left his seal and staff with her until he could send payment, but she never appeared until three months later when she was discovered pregnant.

Judah had tried to protect his third son and the family name, even if it meant violating social code. Tamar was not a prostitute but was simply trying to get what was hers, which was the care, provision and association of her two dead husband's family. If she could not have a child for them through their brother, maybe she thought, she could have a child for them through their father.

Judah's assumption that she had been unfaithful to her dead husbands was obviously met with the demand for the harshest of punishments for dishonoring the family name. But, Tamar revealed the father of her child was Judah when she presented Judah's seal and staff (equivalent to his signature by having his seal and his title of "head of his family" with the staff). With this new evidence it became clear that Tamar was merely seeking what was her own, and Judah was the one who was in the wrong for denying Tamar a place in his family and the opportunity to have children.

The importance of this story is to reveal Judah's heart and judicial skills. Judah did not harden his heart, but repented. And, Judah showed he was worthy of leadership when he rightly judged this case after all the evidence had been presented even though his verdict came against himself. Judah proved a transformation had begun with his repentance and ability to judge justly. Just like man Levi showed the future character of their tribe, Judah showed the leadership and judicial character of his tribe. It will be the tribe of Judah that will be given the prophecy of royalty in Jacob's final blessing:

"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk." – Genesis 49:8-12

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